The Make Linetype tool is restrictive: it only allows us to make linetypes using single-line text and lines and it certainly does not allow us to make linetypes using geometries such as a polyline or an arc. But despite these limitations, you can still use Make Linetype to make linetypes containing complex shapes. And in this section, we will learn how to do that. We will make a linetype using complex shapes, as shown in Figure 8.7:

In this case, we will use two different tools to make a linetype containing a line and two arcs. As you know, we can't use arcs in our linetype, so we will instead use a shapefile, which can be used for linetypes. But to do that, we need to first convert the drawing shown in Figure 8.7 into a shape that can be then used in linetypes.

Here is the workflow of converting our drawing into a shapefile:

1. Go to the Express tools tab and select Make Shape from the expanded tools panel, as shown in Figure 8.8:

2. The Select Shape File window will open. Specify a location and a name for the shapefile. In this example, I am using the desktop as the location and naming this file test shape. Click Save when you are done.
3. Now, the command line will prompt you to specify the name of the shape. For this example, I have used SHP. So, type the name SHP and press Enter.
4. Now, press Enter again to accept the default resolution of 128 from the command line.
5. For the next prompt, you need to specify the base point, which in this case is the leftmost point of the drawing, as highlighted by the red circle in Figure 8.9:

6. The next prompt is Select Objects. In this case, make a window to select all the objects, which in this case is the line and two arcs, and then press Enter key.
7. The shp shapefile has been created, and now it’s ready to use. We will insert this shapefile in our drawing and then we will use this shapefile instead of our original drawing. To insert the shapefile, type SHAPE and press Enter.
8. When the command line prompts for the name of shapefile, type SHP and press Enter again.
9. You will notice that a shapefile will now show up on your cursor. Click on the base point of the existing drawing, which is highlighted with the red circle in Figure 8.9.
10. Press Enter to accept the default height from the next prompt, and press Enter again to accept the default rotation angle as well.

The shape will be added overlapping the original drawing, and now we can use this shapefile to make our linetype. Follow these steps to convert this shapefile into a linetype:

1. Select the Make Linetype tool from the expanded tools panel of the Express Tool tab or use its command alias, MKLTYPE:

2. Once again, the Select Linetype File window will open. Specify the desktop as the location and new linetype as the name of the linetype file, and then click the Save button.
3. Now, the command line will prompt for the name of the linetype. Type shapeline and press Enter.
4. In the next prompt, which is for the description, type linetype made with shapefile and press Enter again.

5. For the starting point, click on point A, and then for the end point, click on point B as shown in Figure 8.11:

6. The next prompt is for selecting the objects. Click on the shapefile from the drawing area and don't select the arc or line underneath the shapefile.
7. Press Enter, and you now have a new linetype called shapeline made with a shapefile.

To use this linetype in a drawing, we will make a line that is longer than the shapefile, then select the line and click on the linetype drop-down in the Properties panel of the Home tab, select the SHAPELINE linetype, and the linetype will be applied to the selected line:

You can also apply this linetype to a circle or other drawings, and you can even change the scale of this linetype to make it look bigger or smaller using the linetype scale option on the Properties palette.

So far, we have made linetypes using Express tools, but you can also make linetypes using a type of code exclusive to AutoCAD, which we will call linetype code here. In the next section, we will learn about linetype code, and we will also make a linetype using linetype code.